If you thought line-cutting made you mad, wait until you hear what allegedly once happened in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
While Disney is unique in many ways compared to other theme parks, some things never change. Whether you’re at Walt Disney World Resort or Shanghai Disneyland, line-cutting is commonplace in any location of this kind as guests try to avoid long waits.
In the past year, we seem to have seen an uptick in the number of complaints about guests engaging in this kind of behavior. “I never saw it so bad in all my years of going to WDW,” said one guest on Reddit in 2023.
Some have theorized that it’s a direct result of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. By axing the once-free service that allowed you to skip the line in an organized, non-rule-breaking manner and instead expecting guests to pay up to $39 per person per day, the idea is that guests who don’t or can’t pay this upcharge are losing their patience and resorting to line-cutting as a solution.
Whatever the reason for it, there’s no arguing with the fact that it’s rampant. Other theme parks have tried to implement direct measures to tackle line-cutting. Knott’s Berry Farm, for example, has erected signs to encourage guests to report line-cutting to security via text. Anyone caught in the act reportedly risks being removed from the park.
While Disney hasn’t quite reached the stage where it’s actively encouraging guests to snitch, stories from Disney park guests imply that parkgoers themselves are growing extremely frustrated with this behavior.
A recent Reddit comment has detailed an incident in which one guest allegedly grew so angry with a line-jumper that they turned to actual violence.
“I saw someone rip out a teenager’s earring because she tried to cut in front of him on Big Thunder [Mountain],” Reddit user goldenfox007 recently wrote. “To be fair, I was pretty far back in line, so maybe the girl was antagonizing him in some way, but… I never thought I’d see blood splatter on the ground like that over Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.”
They added that the incident took place in the line for Thunder Mountain during the summer vacation, which they feel “turns theme parks into a 3.5 month long Black Friday. Wouldn’t be surprised if cast members start wearing riot gear with Mickey Mouse ears.”
While this is obviously a very extreme case, it does go to show how tensions can arise when line-jumping occurs. This isn’t the first time we’ve reported on this kind of incident, either. In November 2023, an adult male guest allegedly lashed out over a young girl and her mother trying to return to the rest of their party in line for Radiator Springs Racers after heading to the bathroom.
A month later, a verbal altercation occurred between two groups in the line for Soarin’ at Walt Disney World Resort’s EPCOT. One of the guests involved later shared their side of the story on TikTok and said, “I want to apologize to any kids that were around, and families that were around that had nothing to do with it, but, unfortunately, I got recorded when I was emotional at the time because these dudes gave racial slurs.”
How do you think line-jumping could be controlled at Disney’s theme parks? Let us know in the comments!
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with our personal views on Disney Park operations.
If the person has to leave for the bathroom then have a cast member give them somethings when they get back in line other guests know they are not cutting. Having cast members in different parts of the line to monitor. I thankfully have not seen any line cutting but some people get rude